Dagesh Lene's Re:Mind Review [Spoilers]

[Dagesh Lene 366]

It's no secret that there were many things about Kingdom Hearts III that left fans feeling disappointed.  However, from everything we've seen and heard, it looked like the DLC, Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind was going to address many of those issues.  Did it succeed, or did it drop the ball?

This review will be split into two parts.  The first part will be my review of Re:Mind.  The second part will be my thoughts on whether or not Re:Mind fixed the big issue I had with Kingdom Hearts III.

EDIT: I somehow accidently trapped part 2 of my review within part 1, and I have no idea how to fix it.  So, if you're looking for it, that's where it is.

Part 1:

 

The Re:Mind Episode is fantastic and somehow is an even more epic finale than the base game was, which I didn't think was possible.  In addition, it included a lot of what fans were asking for (the other guardians of light being playable, Scala ad Caelum being explorable, and Kairi having more to do).  My only issue with it was that it included a lot of fights and cutscenes that we already experienced in the base game.  However, since there were some new ways to experience the fights and some new cutscenes, it is only a small issue for me.

The Limitcut Episode showed us that the main heroes (including some of the Final Fantasy characters, which is something fans were asking for) are all searching for Sora in different ways, and one of those ways includes searching for answers in data, which is how the Data Battles (which is also something that fans were asking for) were included.  I did think that including the Data Battles in this way seemed a bit odd, but whatever.  I also loved the new versions of the boss themes for the Data Battles.

The Secret Episode gave us a tease for what Yozora's involvement in the next saga will be.  I have no idea what it means, but I can't wait to find out.  I also really like that there are two different endings you can get depending on whether you win or lose against Yozora.  It reminds me of the fights in Kingdom Hearts 1 that you could either win or lose.

Data Greeting is awesome and is way more than I was expecting it to be.  I thought that it would be a lot more like the Sticker Album in Birth by Sleep, but you can literally place 3D models of characters, objects, and effects anywhere in the 3D areas they give you.  That, plus all of the other additions to the game that give you new ways to play (new Keyblades, new abilities, and new game modes), are things that weren't necessary, but they did anyway.

In conclusion, Re:Mind is a great addition to Kingdom Hearts III.  Even if the Re:Mind Episode does repeat a lot of stuff from the end of the base game, everything that it adds makes Kingdom Hearts III better.

Part 2:

 

While I did have some other smaller issues with Kingdom Hearts III, such as some of the cutscenes going on for too long and some of the gameplay options not being as good as the others, the only big issue I had with the game was that it felt less like a finale and more like setup for the next saga.  I didn't take as much of an issue with the reveal that Xigbar is Luxu and the return of the Foretellers because those moments were saved for the epilogue.  However, there were several plot points introduced before the game ended that went nowhere and are clearly meant to be addressed and/or expanded on further in other games (the New Seven Hearts; Subject X; and the Keyblade legacy within Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene).  That being said, those moments wouldn't have been as big of an issue for me if it wasn't for Sora fading away at the end of the game.

While it was foreshadowed that Sora was going to pay some sort of price by the end of the game, my issue with it was that it was treated like a cliffhanger ending in a game that is supposed to be a finale to a saga.  This is what really made the game feel like it was just set up for the next saga, and it made those other introduced plot points that went nowhere that much more irritating to me.  If they had only given more time with Sora in his final moments, such as Sora saying his goodbyes to everyone before he eventually fades away in front of them so that it didn't feel as abrupt.  Then, Re:Mind came along.

Re:Mind gave us more time with Sora as he, fully aware of what was going to happen to him, made the ultimate sacrifice for Kairi.  By spending more time on this, it no longer makes the ending to the base game feel like a cliffhanger ending.  Is there still more setup for the future than I would have liked?  Yes, but since Re:Mind solved my biggest issue with Kingdom Hearts III, I no longer have any big issues with Kingdom Hearts III.

I originally gave Kingdom Hearts III an 8/10.  I still think that the game is an 8/10, even with the improvements and additions that Re:Mind gave us.  However, I personally like it a lot more now, and I no longer feel like I have to justify giving it such a high ranking in my list of favorite Kingdom Hearts games because I no longer feel disappointed with the ending.

Edited January 24, 2020 by Dagesh Lene

[2 quid is good 2,209]

I can definitely say hands down that remind includes my favourite set piece in the entire series, and I'll leave it at that, good post!